1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer configuration, and in particular to a method and apparatus for configuration using a portable electronic configuration device.
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2. Background Art
When computing in a network, it is often the case that devices on the network are configured or re-configured to achieve a desired behavior. Current configuration schemes are inadequate, specifically when they require a user to manually enter complex configuration data. Before further discussing the drawbacks of current schemes, an application architecture where this problem typically occurs is described below.
In the multi-tier application architecture, a client communicates requests to a server for data, software and services, for example, and the server responds to the requests. The server""s response may entail communication with a database management system for the storage and retrieval of data.
The multi-tier architecture includes at least a database tier that includes a database server, an application tier that includes an application server and application logic (i.e., software application programs, functions, etc.), and a client tier. The database server responds to application requests received from the client. The application server forwards data requests to the database server.
FIG. 1 provides an overview of a multi-tier architecture. Client tier 100 typically consists of a computer system that provides a graphic user interface (GUI) generated by a client 110, such as a browser or other user interface application. Conventional browsers include Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, among others. Client 110 generates a display from, for example, a specification of GUI elements (e.g., a file containing input, form, and text elements defined using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)) and/or from an applet (i.e., a program such as a program written using the Java(trademark) programming language, or other platform independent programming language, that runs when it is loaded by the browser).
Further application functionality is provided by application logic managed by application server 120 in application tier 130. The apportionment of application functionality between client tier 100 and application tier 130 is dependent upon whether a xe2x80x9cthin clientxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthick clientxe2x80x9d topology is desired. In a thin client topology, the client tier (i.e., the end user""s computer) is used primarily to display output and obtain input, while the computing takes place in other tiers. A thick client topology, on the other hand, uses a more conventional general purpose computer having processing, memory, and data storage abilities. Database tier 140 contains the data that is accessed by the application logic in application tier 130. Database server 150 manages the data, its structure and the operations that can be performed on the data and/or its structure.
Application server 120 can include applications such as a corporation""s scheduling, accounting, personnel and payroll applications, for example. Application server 120 manages requests for the applications that are stored therein. Application server 120 can also manage the storage and dissemination of production versions of application logic. Database server 150 manages the database(s) that manage data for applications. Database server 150 responds to requests to access the scheduling, accounting, personnel and payroll applications"" data, for example.
Connection 160 is used to transmit data between client tier 100 and application tier 130, and may also be used to transfer the application logic to client tier 100. The client tier can communicate with the application tier via, for example, a Remote Method Invocator (RMI) application programming interface (API) available from Sun Microsystems(trademark). The RMI API provides the ability to invoke methods, or software modules, that reside on another computer system. Parameters are packaged and unpackaged for transmittal to and from the client tier. Connection 170 between application server 120 and database server 150 represents the transmission of requests for data and the responses to such requests from applications that reside in application server 120.
Elements of the client tier, application tier and database tier (e.g., client 110, application server 120 and database server 150) may execute within a single computer. However, in a typical system, elements of the client tier, application tier and database tier may execute within separate computers interconnected over a network such as a LAN (local area network) or WAN (wide area network).
Computer systems typically must be configured to work properly. One aspect of configuration involves determining an address of a new device and instructing another device to communicate with the new device at its address. For example, a user may wish to instruct a computer system to display output on multiple display units, termed a xe2x80x9cmulti-headedxe2x80x9d group. A prior art method requires a user to determine a hexadecimal number for each display unit and manually enter the number to configure the display properly. This process is unnatural to a person, difficult to perform and introduces the possibility of human error in configuring the display properly.
FIG. 2 illustrates a multi-headed display. Display units 1 (200), 2 (210), 3 (220) and 4 (230) act as a single display (240). The multi-headed display can simply increase the size of images normally displayed on one display unit. Thus, an image normally displayed on one unit would appear 4 times larger on the multi-headed unit. In this case, display unit 1 displays the upper left quadrant of the display. Likewise, display unit 2 displays the upper right quadrant of the display. Similarly, display unit 3 displays the lower left quadrant of the display, and display unit 4 displays the lower right quadrant of the display.
The multi-headed display of FIG. 2 can also effectively increase the displayed work area by keeping images at a size appropriate for a single display unit. Thus, a user gains an additional 3 display units of workspace to display open documents. Thus, at the resolution a user displays one program in a single display unit, the multi-headed display allows the user to display four similar programs.
FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art method of configuring a multi-headed display. At step 300, a user selects a group of display units to be used as a single display. At step 310, the user selects an unconfigured display unit. At step 320, the user determines a hexadecimal number associated with the unconfigured display unit. At step 330, the user enters the hexadecimal number to configure the multi-headed display to use the unconfigured display unit. At step 340, it is determined whether any unconfigured display units remain. If no unconfigured display units remain, at step 350, the multi-headed display is configured. If an unconfigured display unit remains, the process repeats at step 310.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for configuration using a portable electronic configuration device. In one embodiment, the portable device is attached to an unconfigured electronic device. The portable device causes the unconfigured device to send configuration data to a coupled device. The coupled device, then, uses the data to configure the unconfigured device.
In one embodiment, the unconfigured device is a multi-headed display. A portable electronic configuration device is attached to each unconfigured display unit which is to be part of the multi-headed display. The portable device causes the unconfigured display unit to send configuration data to a coupled device. The coupled device uses the data to configure the unconfigured display unit.
In one embodiment, rows of display units in the multi-headed display have the same number of columns. In one embodiment, the rows of display units are configured top to bottom. In another embodiment, each row of display units is configured left to right. Other embodiments have other orderings for configuration of display units. In one embodiment, the multi-headed display is part of a thin client topology.